Light emitting diode (LED) lighting systems are becoming more prevalent as replacements for older lighting systems. LED systems are an example of solid state lighting (SSL) and have advantages over traditional lighting solutions such as incandescent and fluorescent lighting because they use less energy, are more durable, operate longer, can be combined in multi-color arrays that can be controlled to deliver virtually any color light, and generally contain no lead or mercury. A solid-state lighting system may take the form of a lighting unit, light fixture, light bulb, or a “lamp.”
An LED lighting system may include, for example, a packaged light emitting device including one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs), which may include inorganic LEDs, which may include semiconductor layers forming p-n junctions and/or organic LEDs (OLEDs), which may include organic light emission layers. Light perceived as white or near-white may be generated by a combination of red, green, and blue (“RGB”) LEDs. Output color of such a device may be altered by separately adjusting supply of current to the red, green, and blue LEDs. Another method for generating white or near-white light is by using a lumiphor such as a phosphor. Still another approach for producing white light is to stimulate phosphors or dyes of multiple colors with an LED source. Many other approaches can be taken.
An LED lamp may be made with a form factor that allows it to replace a standard incandescent bulb, or any of various types of fluorescent lamps. LED lamps often include some type of optical element or elements to allow for localized mixing of colors, collimate light, or provide a particular light pattern. Sometimes the optical element also serves as an envelope or enclosure for the electronics and or the LEDs in the lamp.
Since, ideally, an LED lamp designed as a replacement for a traditional incandescent or fluorescent light source needs to be self-contained; a power supply is included in the lamp structure along with the LEDs or LED packages and the optical components. A heatsink is also often needed to cool the LEDs and/or power supply in order to maintain appropriate operating temperature. The power supply and especially the heatsink can often hinder some of the light coming from the LEDs or limit LED placement. Depending on the type of traditional bulb for which the solid-state lamp is intended as a replacement, this limitation can cause the solid-state lamp to emit light in a pattern that is substantially different than the light pattern produced by the traditional light bulb that it is intended to replace.
Traditional incandescent bulbs typically comprise a filament supported on support wires where the support wires are mounted on a glass stem that is fused to the bulb. Wires are run through the stem to provide electric current from the bulb's base to the filament. The stem is fused to the enclosure using heat to melt the glass. In traditional incandescent bulbs fusing the stem to the enclosure does not present a particular problem because the heat generated during the fusing operation does not adversely affect the bulb components. However, such an arrangement has been considered to be unsuitable for LED lamp designs because the heat generated during the manufacturing process is known to have an adverse impact on the LEDs. Heat such as applied during the fusing operation can degrade the performance of the LEDs in use such as by substantially shortening LED life. The heat may also affect the solder connection between the LEDs and the PCB, base or other submount where the LEDs may loosen or become dislodged from the PCB, base or other submount. Thus, traditional manufacturing processes and structures have been considered wholly unsuitable for LED based lighting technologies.